


I'll Wait For You... In Honor of His Memory

by anakinskywalkr



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-28
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-26 03:06:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3834703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anakinskywalkr/pseuds/anakinskywalkr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thane Krios is dead. His wounds from the Cerberus attack on the Citadel sped up his Kepral's Syndrome and not long after the Cerberus forces retreated, Thane breathed in his last breaths. Commander Shepard was there when Thane passed—so was his son, Kolyat. They were the only two to witness the Master Assassin accept the last defeat of his life.</p>
<p>Shepard is still mourning Thane, even a week later. Everybody on the Normandy knows it; knows of what Thane meant to Shepard, of what Shepard meant to Thane. Even the newcomers... like James Vega. James has a confession he needs to get off his chest, but he gives the Commander the complete control over what happens after he makes his confession to her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Wait For You... In Honor of His Memory

Thane was dead. He had died not long after saving the Salarian councilor, the Delatrass, from the Illusive Man's new second-in-command Kai Leng. Kai Leng had been able to stab Thane as Thane shivved him in the shoulder. Kai's sword went clean through the lower left side of Thane's abdomen. The blood loss had sped up Thane's Kepral's Syndrome, due to the very large lack of oxygen in Thane's blood.

I was there with him when he died—as was his son, Kolyat. Together, Kolyat and I said a prayer as Thane took his last breaths, but it wasn't a prayer meant for him, as just moments before, he'd said his own prayers for forgiveness. No, the prayer that Kolyat and I recited was for me; it was Thane's wish for me. His wish for me was for Kalahira to forgive me for my sins, keep my heart pure and guide me through my destiny. 

Siha. That's what he always called me. Siha, one of the warrior-angels of the goddess Arashu. During the time I had known Thane, he taught me a great deal about his religious beliefs and why he always prayed before and after every mission. Thane had told me about the hanar rescuing his race, the drell, from certain extinction by letting most of the drell species take refuge on the hanar home world. About how he was trained to be a master assassin from the age of six, being trained to become a weapon to be used whenever, for whatever purposes. Thane told me about he met his late wife Irikah and how she'd awaken him from his battle sleep. He also told me about his son Kolyat, and how he'd left Kolyat in the care of his aunts and uncles while Thane went to avenge Irikah's murder, which had pulled him back into his battle sleep. Thane also let it be known that I was the one who had reawakened him from his battle sleep.

My relationship with Thane was... unexpected, to say the least. Not many romantic relationships existed between drell and humans, so neither of us knew what to expect. But we made it work. Even when faced with possible absolute doom, we managed to make it work. We leaned on each other, drew strength from each other, taught each other valuable lessons about life, combat, and even love.

I never had anything close to what I had with Thane, and to be honest, I wasn't sure I'd ever have anything like that again. Something that raw, that passionate, that deep, that new... it wasn't something that happened all the time. With Thane, I felt more alive that I ever had. He'd lit a flame in me that only continued to burn brighter the longer I was with him. Thane had giving me something else to fight for. 

And I would never be able to thank him enough for that.

“Shepard, you have a visitor,” EDI said, yanking me from my thoughts. “It is Lieutenant Vega. He says it is important.”

“Send him in,” I replied. I straightened myself, trying to look like I was a Commander and not a lonely Colonist girl.

The door to my captain's cabin opened and Lieutenant James Vega stepped inside. Tall, muscular, and flirty as hell, James Vega was tanner than most of the Alliance soldiers on the Normandy—and one of the best I'd ever fought with. James was of Hispanic descent and damn proud of it, too. He was also damn good looking—everything about the way James looked was aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. Light, doe-brown eyes and a slightly crooked nose. Lips that weren't thin but also not too full. A strong, square jawline so sharp it could probably cut through a rock. There was a scar under his right eye that stretched from his right cheek to the left side of the bridge of his nose; another scar rested at the right corner of his bottom lip; and yet another one sat just below his left eye on his cheekbone. Tattoos of weaved patches peaked out from the collar of his white t-shirt on the right side of his neck, as well as out from under his right shirtsleeve. From under his t-shirt, which was very tightly fitted, you could easily see his washboard abs that were the result of hardcore Alliance Navy training and the years of surfing James had done growing up on a beach. 

“Hey, Lola,” James said.

“What can I do for you, Lieutenant?” I asked him. 

“Uh, I know this probably isn't the right time,” James started, scratching awkwardly at the back of his neck, “but I just really need to get this off my chest... Do you have a minute?”

“Of course.” I gestured him to the couches in my cabin, and sat down across from him. “So what's on your mind?”

“I don't know how to get this out the right way—I mean, you're in mourning, obviously—but I just need to get this off my chest—I've been holding this in for too long,” James stammered, fidgeting with his hands.

I looked at him for a moment, my eyes willing him to continue. What was he going to say? Why did he want to talk to me? “Go on, Jimmy,” I said. 

He scratched at his neck again. “Well... you see, Lola, there's kinda something I need to tell you,” he mumbled.

“Which is?” I pressed.

“Before I say it, just know that I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable and that I fully respect that you're mourning Thane, and that I would never try to make a move on a woman who's mourning the person they loved. But this is important and I just thought you should know—because I respect you and I wouldn't feel right keeping this from you.”

I nodded, then gestured for him to continue.

“Well... I like you, Lola,” he said. “A lot. More than I thought I could. I mean, I've always been a major fan because, well, you're you—you're Commander Shepard! You saved the galaxy from Saren and Sovereign, opened a can of whoop-ass on the Collector's home-base, faced actual Reapers face-to-face, and now you're on a quest to save the galaxy once again but this time from a full Reaper army. You're the Commander Shepard. You're the first human Spectre in the history of the galaxy, and you're one of the best soldiers the Alliance—and the galaxy alike—have ever seen. Not to mention, you're gorgeous as hell—I mean, you turn heads when you walk in a room, and it isn't because of your accomplishments. Trust me. It's because you're the most beautiful creature in this entire galaxy, and I know a shitload of people who would agree with me. And while I didn't know that Thane dude, I'm pretty sure he'd agree with me, too. You are a hell of a woman, Lola. And I just want you to know that I'm gonna be waiting for you. I know you loved Thane a lot; I can see it in your eyes every time I mention his name. You're hurting right now, and I don't wanna dishonor his memory by making a move on you. So I'll wait. Until you're ready. It doesn't matter how long it takes for you to be ready. If we make it through this war, and if we defeat the Reapers, and if that's when you decide you're ready, then you can bet your ass that I'll be there, ready to take you in my arms and do what I can to make you happy. Because you deserve happiness, Lola. Oh, you deserve all the happiness in the world, chica. And I promise you that, one day, I'll be right here, ready to make sure you know what true happiness feels like again. So take your time, Lola. There's no need to rush anything.”

I was completely blown away by James's words. He... liked me? I mean, he flirted with me mercilessly, but I'd always thought that was just child's play. Then again, maybe I was too caught up in my relationship with Thane—in my fear of losing him—that I couldn't see what was right in front of me. James obviously had feelings for me, but he wasn't going to act on them. He wanted to honor Thane's memory by letting me mourn and try to move on with my life. James was letting me decide when, and if, he and I would ever become something more than just friends who lightheartedly flirted with each other. He was willing to wait for me, however long he had to, and that was... amazing. I'd always known James Vega was a good guy underneath the player-persona he always put up around everybody he came in contact with, and I was finally seeing the true good guy that was James Vega. 

Did I want to wait? No, wait, what kind of question was that? Of course I wanted to wait. I'd just lost Thane; I needed to mourn him, to deal with the pain of his passing. I couldn't just let my feelings about Thane get buried just because he was now dead. I loved him. I needed to mourn him, I needed to let myself grieve, and turn that grief into fighting power to use against the Reapers.

“You're a great friend, Jimmy,” I said, looking into his eyes. “I'll let you know when I'm ready.” A small but genuine smile spread across my face.

James answered my smile with a smile of his own, one that seemed filled with... hope and admiration. “I'll be right here,” he said. After a long moment, he spoke again. “Well, I should get back to the shuttle bay. Who knows what Esteban needs my help with. I'll talk to you later, Lola.”

“Talk to you later, Vega,” I answered. He nodded at me once, that hopeful and admirable smile still on his face, before standing up and walking to the entrance of my cabin. The door opened, and he stepped out, but not before looking back at me quickly to send me a wink. 

The cheeky bastard.

Later that night, I lay in bed, pondering. Would Thane have wanted this? Of course he would... He would have wanted me to mourn him for an appropriate length of time, then he'd want me to move on with my life, and try to find happiness elsewhere. Thane wouldn't have wanted me sulking in sadness over his death; he'd want me unleashing hell on the Reapers, and doing everything in my power to make sure every living creature in the galaxy had a chance at a full life. 

And that was what I was going to do.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I hope y'all liked this! It's my first fic here on ao3, and, well, to be honest, this is my first Mass Effect fic. So yeah! Leave a kudos/comment if you liked it


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